$1.24 Billion in 91 Grants to Eliminate Dangerous Rail Crossings: DOT Announces Rail Safety Investment Across 37 States
Washington — The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on October 30 that Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy is investing $1.24 billion into rail safety infrastructure through the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), according to the department's press release. The money flows through 91 grants across 37 states under the FY 25-26 Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program.
The department said the dollars will go toward eliminating unsafe highway-rail conflict points, closing at-grade crossings, and upgrading railroad traffic signals, deconflicting dangerous rail crossings and saving lives in the 37 states.
Projects are spread from coast to coast. The Texas Department of Transportation received $46 million to support construction of a grade-separated overpass carrying RM 2871 over the Union Pacific Railroad and Aledo Road in Fort Worth, Texas, eliminating the highway-rail conflict point, improving emergency response reliability, and reducing blocked crossings. The Port Authority of Kansas City received $72 million to eliminate three existing at-grade crossings through a grade separation in Kansas City, Missouri. The City of Nampa, Idaho, received $43 million to eliminate an at-grade crossing and construct a grade separation as part of the Robinson Road and Greenhurst Road Overpass Project, at a crossing that frequently experiences blockages.
Other announced projects include $31.7 million to the Georgia Department of Transportation to upgrade railroad preemption interconnection to traffic signals at approximately 31 high-risk railroad crossings across the state; $6.4 million for the City of Marana, Arizona, to advance development and design concepts for a future grade separation on Tangerine Road and I-10; and $1.7 million for the County of Saint Louis in Minnesota to evaluate four at-grade public roadway crossings along a Canadian National mainline corridor and develop long-term solutions such as closures, grade separations, or safety improvements.
Secretary Sean P. Duffy said protecting the traveling public and enhancing the nation's rail network, the backbone of its transportation system, is part of the administration's commitment to move people and products better than ever. He said the department has invested nearly $10 billion in American rail this year alone, with more on the way, and that the latest investments will continue to improve the safety of passengers, rail workers, and the Americans who share these transportation corridors.
FRA Administrator David Fink said the RCE grants announced today will provide communities nationwide with funding to make highway-rail grade crossings safer and reduce the occurrence of blocked crossings, and that the strategic investments will save lives, prevent accidents and reduce delays.
Eligible applications for the RCE Program were evaluated on merit, including project readiness, technical merit, and project benefits, and the full list of selected projects is published by the department. Today's investment follows FRA's $2.3 billion investment earlier this month into 105 freight and passenger rail projects across 45 states and the District of Columbia through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program, and an August announcement of $5.3 billion for rail projects across the United States.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国交通部长 Sean P. Duffy 官方肖像。美国交通部官方照片，公共领域（联邦政府作品）；GSM 自家图库联邦包 fed-dot-head。 / Photo: Official portrait of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. U.S. Department of Transportation official photo, public domain (federal government work); GSM federal asset pack fed-dot-head.
